Pillar guide · Correction
Concealer and Colour Correction
Why more concealer makes a dark under-eye worse, and what to do instead.
Written by Lamyaa Aissi, professional makeup artist, Casablanca.
Under-eye darkness is a colour problem before it is a coverage problem. Piling on more of the same light concealer produces a grey ring rather than removing one — the single most common mistake in the category.
On the depth range common in Morocco this matters more than the guides admit, because the darkness here is frequently pigment rather than shadow, and no amount of light concealer covers pigment.
Correct, then cover, then stop
The order is fixed. Neutralise the colour first — peach or orange against blue-toned darkness, deeper peach on deeper skin — then place the smallest possible amount of concealer over it, then stop.
The stopping is the part people skip. Every additional layer added after the correction has worked moves the area back towards grey.
Shadow or pigment
They look similar and behave completely differently. Shadow is caused by the structure of the eye socket and responds to a lighter concealer. Pigment is in the skin itself and responds only to correction — a lighter product laid over pigment turns ashy.
The quick test is light: shadow changes when the light source moves, pigment does not.
Setting under the eye, or not
Under-eye concealer creases because the area moves constantly, not because too little powder was used. A very small amount of finely milled powder pressed — not swept — holds it. A generous layer guarantees the crease it was meant to prevent.
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Questions
How do I stop concealer creasing under my eyes?
Use less product and press a small amount of finely milled powder over it rather than sweeping. Creasing comes from too much product on an area that moves constantly, not from too little powder.
Why does my concealer look grey?
You are covering pigment rather than correcting it. Pigmented under-eyes need a peach or orange corrector first; a light concealer over pigment always turns ashy.
Should concealer go before or after foundation?
After. Foundation first evens the overall tone, and you then discover you need far less concealer than you thought. Applied first, concealer gets moved and thinned by the foundation over it.
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